Larry Neal Nance

Larry Neal Nance, a blue-eyed apple of my eye baby boy, arrived in Gorman, Texas, to Chrystine and J.C. Nance on September 15, 1946. He departed his family and friends with a full heart (and belly) on July 28, 2025, in his beautiful adopted hometown of Bend, Oregon.

He spent his childhood in Cisco, Texas, hunting, fishing, and funning. Larry's sense of humor wasn't hard to find-you just needed to follow the groans. When he was a young man, passing the time with his lifelong friends Danny, Marlin, and Chuck, his humor took a mischievous slant, like taking all the classroom chairs and putting them on the school roof or mixing vegetable seeds in with the grass seed for the new high school's landscaping. Later, he was always "pun"ishing friends and family with turns of phrase which inevitably devolved into fits of laughter and eye rolls as each tried to one-up the other.

You could always count on Larry to roll up his sleeves. He took on his first paper route at 10 and later worked shining shoes and then as a shop hand before he went on to college and the U.S. Army. Larry spent some of his Army career in Frankfurt, Germany, where he explored Europe, welcomed a son, and discovered delicious German food. We'd share more about that, but German sausage jokes are just the wurst.

When he came home from the Army sporting a mustache, grown to look more seasoned to his platoon, his mother and sisters greeted him with matching mustaches made from corn silk. Despite the good-natured ribbing, or maybe because of it, his mustache was his signature for the rest of his life.

Larry later earned his M.B.A. and became a business executive and company co-founder. He eased into his retirement years and enjoyed coffee and walks by the river in Bend with his love, Friday lunches with his son, Sunday phone calls with his daughter, and regular lively dinners with neighborhood friends.

Larry enjoyed the sweetness of life, especially the sweets themselves. Growing up, he adored his mother's chocolate meringue pie; every holiday, pecan pie was a must. His final evening, he helped everyone finish off the Costco-sized container of peanut M&M's. Peanuts in a bottle of Dr. Pepper were a longtime favorite.

A sense of fun surrounded Larry. Game night was a common thing, from childhood on, when he'd beat his Pawpaw at dominoes, and later his wife, children, grandchildren, the list goes on and on. He even out-funned his daughter on amusement park roller coasters in his 60s when he joined her for her birthday.

Larry was much loved. He found love with three amazing women in his lifetime. He adored and doted on his grandchildren and was beloved in return. Children and pets were always drawn to him, a sure sign of his gentle spirit and warmth.

Larry lived by and embodied his ideals. He epitomized a generous, giving heart-whether acting as a surrogate father to a niece, feeding the homeless in San Diego and Bend, or donating money and resources to veterans organizations and friends in need, even when his own resources were limited. To continue Larry's quiet generosity, the family invites memorial donations via Venmo to @LarryNanceMemorial to assist with arrangements and, if possible, help veterans in need through Central Oregon Veterans Outreach.

The family welcomes you to share photos and memories on the tribute wall.